Assault of the Aggressor

Summary: After General Grievous loses his flagship in a fierce space battle, he is forced to take on a new ship...a far deadlier one. Only General Rahm Kota stands in his way of mass galactic destruction. Will Kota be able to stop the droid leader and the production of this fearsome starship once and for all? Or will he perish at the hand of the new Separatist weapon, the Aggressor?

Last edited by General Grievous on Sun Sep 25, 2011 5:41 am; edited 9 times in total

The sound of clanking metal alerted the droids. All droids immediately manned their stations. The rest formed an honor guard for their superior to enter through. They all knew that sound. They also knew that the source of that sound brought quick destruction to the incompetent and lazy. The droids had seen more than enough of their fellow kin fall by the hand of it.

Just as the last of the droids were in their positions, the clanking stopped at the other side of the bridge's door. Then, the familiar hiss of door opening flooded the droids' audio receptors. Some of the braver one's actually took a quick look, but quickly swiveled their heads back to their consoles. They could only bear to look at the sight of death for so long. With a skull-like mask, limbs made of the toughest duranium, and a body that appeared to be an impenetrable fortress containing who-knows-what, he was indeed something to cower before.

Yet none of these things were as terrifying as his eyes. Vertically slit, they resembled fire...an unrelenting, unending fire. A fire of anger, a fire of death, but most importantly, the fire of fear. Although he had strength surpassing a wookiee’s, the speed of a nexu, and the mind of a tactical genius, his greatest weapon was the fear he sparked in all beings that knew of him, or even more terrifyingly, had met him. Even his battle droids, who hadn't been programmed to feel emotions, felt fear while around him. The more people heard of him, the more he held the galaxy in his grip through fear.

But despite all his power, all his control over those he commanded and conquered, General Grievous had a weakness. His weakness was fear itself. The irony of it was not lost on him, considering it was his strongest power, but no matter what he did, he could not stop it nor contain it. He feared those he answered to, the users of the Dark Side of the Force called Sith Lords, who also used fear as he did to control entire worlds, the events that were always happening, and most importantly, him. He knew that he was firmly within their grasp, but he could do nothing about it. All he could do was do their bidding and hope the nightmare of his life would end.

***

General Grievous walked through the bridge's door and the honor guard consisting of the droids under his command until he reached the captain’s seat. His second-in-command, a TX-20 tactical droid, looked up at him in surprise, before promptly standing up and saluting him. Grievous took the seat while the droid walked off behind him.

As he gripped the arm rests with his clawed hands, he said in a menacing voice, “Report," to the droid at the bridge’s scanning station. He hoped for the droid's sake that he would hear good news.

"Roger roger," replied the droid with a slight quiver in his voice, "According to our ship’s long-range scanners, there is only a minor defense fleet in orbit above Bandomeer. We have only received signals of a large assault cruiser, and a few corvette-sized cruisers, all of which are near the Bandomeer Export Station. There are no other signs of official Republic army ships within the system, or anywhere else nearby. We are clear for the attack.”

Grievous looked out the viewport of his flagship, a Providence-class destroyer personally named the Jedi Killer, and deep into the maw of hyperspace. He didn’t need a surprise on this mission. It was vital that he destroy the BES and get out of the system before Republic reinforcements arrived. It was well-known that Bandomeer was one of the only places to mine ionite in the galaxy, and the Republic would do anything to ensure that its hold on this system was intact.

According to recent Intel, the Republic had been playing with the valuable mineral for quite a while now, and it was on the verge of a breakthrough that would allow them to create new ion weapons by the day that would cripple the Separatist armies. It was imperative that Grievous stop the export of ionite to the Republic through the destruction of the BES. If not, the Confederacy of Independent Systems could be dealt a serious blow in their ongoing war with the Republic.

Grievous thought it foolish to just attack the export station and not capture the whole planet so the Separatists could keep the ionite for themselves, but Count Dooku, his Sith superior and the leader of the Confederacy had ordered him not to. In a sense, it was no matter to Grievous, since it made the mission all the more easier for him, but the matter still sparked his curiosity to a degree. Why not capture it all while it is vulnerable? Perhaps Sidious, Dooku’s dark master merely wished to effectively take away the usage of ionite in this war from everyone without actually destroying it all, but Grievous couldn’t understand why.

He sometimes felt so out of the loop about the strategies for winning the war…

“General, we are nearing Bandomeer,” the TX-20 informed.

Grievous didn’t say anything for a moment, his thoughts still swimming. Finally, he replied, “Good, then take us out of hyperspace.”

Before the Clone Wars, the Bandomeer Export Station had been the very symbol of Bandomeer itself. Nearly anyone with business on Bandomeer stopped at the station to refuel or buy supplies before heading towards or away from the planet. It was the representation of a planet where people thrived in their businesses and lived without war or strife.

But things had changed after Bandomeer received the first news about the events at Geonosis. It had started out with the BES receiving weapon emplacements from the Republic to defend itself and the planet’s surface. Then, the Republic had been in need of mass numbers of ionite crystals. It pressured the Bandomeerian government signing a contract that enslaved the BES to do business solely with the Republic research stations, resulting in a decrease in business everywhere else on the planet below. The final blow had been dealt with a regulation that the Republic had ordered the BES to enforce-incoming or outgoing ships had to show proper mining permits or be boarded and scanned to insure there were no threats to the Republic’s hold on both Bandomeer and its mining industry.

People could no longer see the BES as a business or a safe-haven, but as a militaristic stronghold that had destroyed the planet’s economy. No one but the miners that directly worked with the BES, workers at the BES itself, and the pilots that transported the ionite from the station could be considered wealthy anymore on Bandomeer. The Republic was effectively killing Bandomeer with even knowing it. .

But all was not lost for the people of Bandomeer. Their contract with the Republic would be able to keep the planet economically sustained for several years, and with the arrival of a Republic defense fleet lead by Admiral Cristov Valliant, the citizens had no fear of a Separatist invasion that would ruin the contract and destroy the planet for good.

But unbeknownst to anyone, the contract was indeed in peril of being ruined by the Separatists, and not even Valliant and his fleet would have a chance at defending the BES or the planet below…

***

Admiral Cristov Valliant stood on the bridge of his flagship, arms crossed and legs spread apart. He gazed out the viewport, and saw amongst the stars his homeplanet, Corellia, and it’s four brothers Selonia, Drall, Tralus, and Talus. Combined, they were the Five Brothers, the nickname for the entire system they consisted of, and the place always in Valliant’s heart. He had even named his starship, a Venator-class assault cruiser, the Five Brothers.

He had been greatly saddened by the news of Corellia’s withdrawal from the Republic sometime after the war had broken out, and concerned greatly by the rumors saying it had joined the Separatists. Thankfully, the latter hadn’t been true, and it probably never would. Corellia may have left the Republic but it would never ally itself with the evils of Count Dooku and the Separatist Alliance.

He hoped to return to Corellia someday and live out the rest of his life there. But some things had to come before personal desires. He had a duty to the Republic, and an oath to uphold. He would never abandon the Republic in its darkest hour. He would not rest until peace was restored.

Peace. He remembered his childhood on Corellia, when there was no war or countless lives on a battlefield. He remembered simply the calm that the lives of those around him brought to him, and the stars that he had always longed to be in.

Well, I’ve achieved my childhood dream, that’s for sure, Valliant thought. Though as a child, he hadn’t quite thought about space being a battlefield and him leading soldiers into it like he did now. Then again, no child back then did.

Valliant gave a soft sigh and looked away from his homeworld for a second. Now war is on everyone’s mind now. I can see children now imagining nothing but battle in their minds and war in their future, either out of fear or a misguided lust to be in it. ‘Tis a pity, Valliant grimaced. Even in their sleep, they are probably seeing the deaths of men and destruction of planets…

As if an answer to his thoughts, the Five Brothers’s klaxon blared. A clone officer ran up to him and said, “Admiral, we’re under attack!”

On cue with the officer’s announcement, a Separatist fleet entered out of hyperspace. It consisted of three Providence-class destroyers, six Municifent-class star frigates and a single Lucrehulk-class core ship. With only the Five Brothers and four Corellian corvettes that Valliant had requested be part of his fleet, the odds we’re already stacked high against him.

“Activate the distress beacon! And order all men to battle stations, guns, starfighters, everything!” he ordered the clone officer. As the clone ran off, Valliant turned back to the viewport. Deep down, he knew this was a battle he couldn’t win. But, he would die trying.

***

General Grievous knew he had caught the enemy by surprise. The corvette cruisers were scrambling around the Republic flagship to get into a better position and the assault cruiser was focusing its attention on Grievous’s fleet as if it were a waking giant. Grievous already had the upper hand.

“Order three of Jedi Killer’s starfighter squadrons and three hyena bomber squadrons into battle. Keep those anti-fighter corvettes occupied and separated from the enemy’s flagship until it is destroyed,” he told the TX-20 tactical droid.

“Roger, roger,” replied the droid.

“General!” another droid called, “We are detecting a distress beacon being sent from the enemy. Should we jam the transmission?”

Grievous thought for a moment, then answered, “No, let these cowards think help is coming. By the time reinforcements arrive, we will be long gone, and the space above Bandomeer a graveyard to both this pathetic fleet and the BES.” Grievous began to laugh demonically at his own words, a laugh that sent shivers down the mechanics of the droids working on the bridge.

***

“Admiral, incoming starfighters!” a worker on the bridge announced. Valliant looked out the viewport to get a visual, and sure enough there were squadrons of fighters and bombers approaching fast and hard.

But their target wasn’t the Five Brothers. It was the Corellian corvettes. Even as he realized this, a group of Vulture-class droid starfighters swarmed the corvette, distracting its anti-fighter cannons long enough for the Hyena-class bombers to move in and focus fire on its bridge. After only a few direct hits from the bombers’ proton torpedoes, the entire ship exploded and ripped itself apart.

“Blast!” Valliant snarled, “Someone get the other ships on our frequency and tell them to attack those kriffing bombers! They can ignore those Vulture droids for now, but we’re all dead if those bombers stay in the fight much longer.”

As the corvettes began to split up to chase after the bombers and their fighter escorts, Valliant wondered how a lone ship like his was going to possibly take on an entire fleet of capital ships. But of course, he did have a couple surprises for instances like this…

“Move the Five Brothers away from the BES and towards the enemy fleet. Get as close as possible, but not within firing range. I want to bait them.”

***

“Sir,” the droid at the scanning station said, “the bombers and fighters are leading the smaller cruisers away from the enemy flagship. We are clear for attack.”

“No,” Grievous bellowed, “We will not be attacking so soon. The Republic would not defend one of the only sources of ionite so lightly as this. I predict that there is more to this fleet than it appears. We will stay here in formation, and let him make the next move in our little game…”

“Roger, roger,” the droid said to himself more than anyone.

“You will not be waiting long, General,” the TX-20 stated, “The enemy is already warming up their engines. They’ll be on the move towards us soon. Though, I must admit, I believe it is more likely that the enemy is merely making a final, desperate attack than deploying an actual strategic maneuver against us. ”

“We’ll see about that. Regardless, he is coming, and we shall stay here to ensure that his last move is a futile one.” Grievous interjected with pleasure. He stopped to think though, then ordered, “If he stops before he enters firing range, send one of our smaller cruisers out to engage him-it would most likely be an attempt to bait us. If so, I’ll give him what he wants; I want him to waste whatever he has in store for us.”

***

The Five Brothers stopped where it was supposed to. It then waited for the enemy to make the next move. Boy, I hope this works… Valliant thought uneasily. He was playing a dangerous game, with each move being yet more perilous.

The next move on the enemy’s part though, topped everything in risk so far-and had Valliant in checkmate. Instead of a few ships coming at him to finish the job they had started, only a single, Municifent-class frigate moved in to engage Valliant.

This maneuver by the enemy completely undid Valliant’s offensive strategy. He had anticipated several ships coming in at once for him to annihilate with his secret weapon-advanced ion cannons implanted underneath the bridge spire. Built by the ionite researchers on Coruscant, they had been meant to be used for the destruction of shields on enemy ships for entire fleets that didn’t know better.

He had hoped to destroy a good portion of the enemy fleet in a single, swift motion that might even the odds. But against a single frigate, the trick would be blown. He was too committed already to retreat back to the BES, and if he used them now, the entire enemy fleet would close in, knowing what to hit first before completely taking out the ship itself. Valliant considered using every weapon but the ion cannons, but he knew it would be too risky. His own shields would take too much of a beating in the firefight that would leave a wide open gap in his defense. The ion cannons would be useless then, only being able to take a couple ships out at best until the rest completely depleted the Five Brothers’s shields and destroyed the ship itself.

His only option was to unleash his secret weapon right then and hopefully scare the enemy enough to give Valliant a few more spare minutes to recharge his ion shields for a final last stand.

A worker on the bridge replied, “Yes, sir!” He likely doesn’t know that he’s signing all our death warrents…, Valliant regretted.

***

“General,” the tactical droid began, “the enemy is warming up something underneath its bridge spire. I believe this would be the secret weapon you predicted, against my calculations, to be “up the enemy’s sleeve” as that pointless human expression goes.”

Even as the TX-20 said its last part, the Municifent-class frigate was pounded by a round of ion cannons.

“Ah!” Grievous expressed with slight surprise at the small irony of it all-a planet that produces ionite protected by a ship wielding ion cannons.

“Once our ship has been destroyed, move in for the kill. Those ion cannons must drain a lot of power from the ship-they’ll be temporarily out of commission, leaving the Republic fleet defenseless against a following assault,” Grievous told his droid

“Wouldn’t it be wise to assist our own ship now that we know we have the upper hand? I calculate that we have a fifty-nine point two six percent chance at saving it, even as we speak,” the tactical droid suggested.

“Why?” Grievous posed the question, “What is one ship full of pathetic battle droids compared to the mission at hand?”

Grievous left it at that; he tired of hearing his droid’s calculated answers whenever the simple answer was usually right in front of them.

***

The Municifent-class frigate stood little chance at the hand of the Five Brothers’s ion cannons. Within thirty seconds, the cruisers shields collapsed and a few well-aimed shots at the bridge sent the Separatist vessel plummeting down to the planet surface, exploding and imploding all at the same time. By the time it reached the outer layer of the planet’s atmosphere, it was completely unrecognizable.

There was a slight cheer on the bridge upon defeat of the small frigate, but it was short-lived.

“Sir,” a clone at the scanning station called, “the rest of the enemy fleet is incoming!”

It was as Valliant feared. The enemy had cornered him into an impossible position on the dejarik board, and was now going to finish the job. There was now no longer any hope for Bandomeer.

“Order our corvettes to regroup with us. We may be going down, but we’re going to go down with a fight!” Valliant ordered defiantly. He may be cornered, but he was still going put a dent in the Separatist fleet.

Faster than he expected, the Corellian corvettes returned to the Five Brothers’s, Separatist fighters still attacking it but with fewer numbers than before thanks to the corvettes’ anti-fighter turrets.

“Put the answer through on our holoreceiver!” Valliant shouted with glee as he ran to the room directly behind the bridge, where battle strategies were planned, navigation was calculated, and communications received. Just as he entered, a blue hologram fizzled onto the central holotable.

“This is General Rahm Kota. My fleet is receiving a distress beacon from the planet Bandomeer. Is there a problem?”

“General, I’m Admiral Valliant of the Bandomeer defense force. Time is running short-a Separatist armada is attacking the Bandomeer Export Station, and my fleet is in no position to repel the attackers. We need reinforcements immediately!”

“Don’t worry, Admiral, my fleet will be arriving shortly. Hold the line as long as possible, and we’ll be there in-“

All of a sudden, General Kota’s signal started breaking up, and shortly after a huge shudder went through the ship. Kota’s image started to grow into nothing but static, and not before long, it completely dispersed.

As Valliant turned back around to the bridge’s viewport, he could see nothing but red lasers dancing across everywhere at once. The Five Brothers was being completely swarmed by the entire enemy fleet.

The corvettes were long gone at this point, obliterated by fighters and enemy capital ships alike. They had been fighting back as ordered (as was the Five Brothers) but against an entire fleet of capital ships, there was not a chance of even making a scratch on one of their hulls. The shields of his own ship were barely holding, and even as he saw this, another shudder shook the ship itself. Valliant’s time had come.

A young officer, probably barely out of an academy, ran up to him and asked him what to do, panic quivering in his voice. Valliant’s words even shocked Valliant himself.

“Nothing.”

The officer’s face fell, but the man remained ready to follow any last orders. Valliant had none to give however, and as Valliant turned back to the viewport the Five Brothers’s shields finally fell.

In the last moments of his life, Valliant turned his view back to the Corellian system for one final look. He knew that if anyone would be able to fight back the enemy fleet, it would be General Kota. Valliant had ensured the arrival of the one person who could actually help the planet below, even if he died in the process.

And that is what it means to do one’s duty. As Valliant thought this he smiled, even in the face of imminent death. He resolved not to shrink back an inch when the final moment arrived.

And so he did.

______________________________________________________________________________________________"I am the leader of the most powerful droid army the galaxy has ever seen!"-General Grievous